tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258899769726915642024-03-13T08:37:00.294-04:00Mike and Polly BrownMike and Polly Brown - Missionaries to BoliviaMike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-34381691598192350222020-04-14T10:00:00.000-04:002020-04-14T10:00:09.324-04:00An Incredible Story<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-119-105" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">"Your word is a lamp to my feet</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-119-105" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and a light to my path." - </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psalm 119:105 ESV</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We want to share with you an incredible story of the power of God's incredible Word!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>An incredible gift.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids loved receiving their new Action Bibles, donated by <a href="https://www.childhopeonline.org/" target="_blank">ChildHope</a>. We loved being able to put those Bibles in their hands. It did not take very long for us to hear testimonies:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Kids from the school near the notorious Palmasola prison showed up to church with their new Bibles so they could learn how to use them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">A high school student from that same school was in the hospital to undergo tuberculosis tests. He had his mom bring his new Bible to help him pass the time.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Bible, God's Word, is an incredible gift. And r</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">eceiving God’s Word is always a blessing.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An incredible visit.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God opened the door for us to enter the Palmasola prison, where a number of kids sponsored through ChildHope used to live, and where a number of sponsored kids’ parents still do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went in to talk to some students' fathers. The school was able to share report cards and important information with the dads. A pastor friend was able to share from God's Word. Then, we were able to hand each of them a copy of God's Word so they could read it for themselves. We gave them each one of the same Bibles we had recently given their kids. They were excited. We were excited.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An incredible opportunity.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the way out of the prison, we were given the unlikely opportunity to visit Mery. She is mother to a couple kids sponsored by ChildHope at the school in Samaria. She had been imprisoned shortly before our visit. She would later be proven innocent of her charges. However, that was not much consolation in that moment. A mom behind bars. Her boys left with her parents. During our visit, we gave her one of the Bibles. She is a Christian, and we wanted to encourage her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mery has since been released from the prison. She is now back at home with her kids. That is where I recently had the chance to visit her. I asked her about the Bible, and that is when she shared the following beautiful testimony with me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An incredible testimony.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mery brought her Bible to an office where she was working within the prison. It became a community Bible. Other ladies began reading God's Word too. Ladies who had never read the Bible before. A friend commented to her about how she had never understood the Bible so clearly as she did then.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Mery left the prison, her friends asked her to let the Bible stay behind so they could continue reading it. She did. Mery still visits her friends in prison. They recently asked her to bring a notebook and pen with her, because they have been copying Scriptures from the Bible she left for them to read in their cells. They are so hungry for God's Word!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The incredible God!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We never know all that God has in store when we follow the steps of His plan for our lives. But we do know that, whatever it is, it will be incredible, because <b>God is incredible</b>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this case, what began as a project from ChildHope to put God's Word into the hands of kids at partnering schools throughout Latin America turned into an opportunity to leave copies of the Bible in a notorious Bolivian prison. As people read these Bibles, <b>God continues to speak His incredible Living Word</b>!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-85556249223170864842019-02-22T10:56:00.000-05:002019-02-22T10:56:01.290-05:00Trust and Obey<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting to look back on some memories from my life and see how God was leading me on a path to where I am now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I remember...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember one occasion when I was in "the pantry" of my childhood house. I remember climbing up onto the dryer and looking at a couple of books my mother had on the shelf. They were books about American Sign Language (ASL). They were intriguing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember learning the ASL alphabet as a kid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember a deaf congregation meeting upstairs at the church where I attended.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember being about nine years old when some missionaries came to our church to share about their project of translating the Bible into the language of a people group in Papua New Guinea. I remember thinking how cool it would be to do something like that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember realizing that I had a love and fascination for languages, always trying to learn phrases in various languages from friends who spoke them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember meeting a breathtakingly beautiful girl from Philly when I was a junior in college. I remember finding out that her parents were deaf pastors in New Jersey. I remember discovering that this girl shared a call to serve overseas in missions some day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember while we were serving as missionary associates in Costa Rica that our area directors encouraged us to consider ministry to the deaf in Latin America. I remember visiting a missionary couple working with the deaf in Nicaragua and hearing the need.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember seeing our approval to serve as missionaries to Bolivia and how ministry to the deaf was listed as one of our focuses even though we had not requested that it be listed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember attending a missions event for college students in the U.S. and being challenged by the need for ministry to the deaf in Latin America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember meeting a woman here in Bolivia who grew up in a missionary family working with the deaf here in Bolivia and hearing more specifically about the need here in this country. I remember hearing about a project a team is working on to make a video Bible translation for the deaf using Bolivian Sign Language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hindsight is 20/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the time that each of these moments happened, I didn't realized they were individual parts of a greater story. I didn't make the connections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was a kid, or even when I was in college, I didn't realize that I would one day be working with the deaf.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I look back on those memories now, however, I can see that God has led me on a particular path. Now, it seems so very obvious. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God set these seemingly small moments along the way that led me to where I am now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am where I am, because God has led me here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>God's Foresight is 20/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We don't know what the future holds. But we can have confidence in knowing that God does!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, hindsight is 20/20. I'm glad that for God, foresight is 20/20 as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God is sovereign and faithful and so very good to us. We don't know what the final destination might be with regard to a specific path of ministry/work in our life. But God does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is our job then? We must seek God and faithfully follow each step along the way. We don't realize how the steps fit together in the end, but if we are most concerned with obeying God we can trust that He will work all that out. So really, our job can be simply summarized as obedience to God based in our trust in Him. Our job then is to trust and obey!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you look back and your life, do you see the steps He has laid out before you along the way? W</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here has God led you? Do you trust Him? Are you willing to obey?</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-37385266647199528132018-09-04T09:00:00.000-04:002018-09-04T09:14:21.257-04:00Social Reset<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you remember your best friend(s) from you were a kid? Do you have one now? In some cases, it may even be the same person.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had best friends growing up. They changed as life changed, but there were always those with whom I was closer. I would talk on the phone for hours, even when it meant paying an exorbitant amount of money on the long distance phone bill (remember when you had to pay per minute for "long distance" calls?).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Social reset.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing that happened in my decision to go to school in Springfield, MO was that it forced me to say goodbye to my former friends and essentially begin a new life socially. Obviously I maintained friendships to some extent, but that was before social media and technology became what it is today. I didn't even have a cell phone.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I graduated from college I moved back to Massachusetts, but an hour west of the city and no longer near my friends from before college. And in the process I left my college friends too. Once again I was forced to essentially reset life on a social level. After marrying Polly, we developed close friendships with others once again. Our closest friends moved away but we still managed to have close, meaningful relationships with others.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2014, when we moved to Costa Rica, we yet again found ourselves hitting the reset button socially. We developed good friendships with other American missionaries as well as Costa Rican nationals. Then we left, went back to the U.S. and prepared to become missionaries to Bolivia. More changes. More social resets.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here we are, less than a year into our time in Bolivia. We are building new friendships, once again with other American missionaries and with Bolivian nationals.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Reset again.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we don't get rid of our previous relationships, as relational beings we desire community in a physical sense. We want to spend time with people in-person, not simply via technology. We want people at our house. We want to spend time at theirs.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a challenge that comes with constantly resetting your life socially. You constantly find yourself entering situations where people have often already developed their long-lasting friendships long before your arrival. So while you develop friendships, it's hard to find best friends.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that leaves you looking for others who are not deeply established in their existing friendships. These are typically internationals. And like you, they generally live a transient life. So it's hard to connect to deeply knowing that you or they will soon be gone.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Genevieve, our 7 year old daughter, is dealing with this problem right now. Her best friend is Italian. And we just found out that they are moving back to Italy next month. Reset.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The biggest challenge.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes people ask what the biggest challenge is as a missionary. Some suggest that we give up so much, our livelihoods and homes and such when we leave. But the truth is that I don't care about stuff. I miss people. I miss being established. I miss my life when goodbye wasn't such a common word and hello wasn't said with such reserve knowing how this too will end.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't normally share about these kinds of things, but after sharing a short post on Facebook this week, I decided to open up more and explain further to give you a better idea of our biggest challenge. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're not unhappy or depressed or down in the dumps. It is a reality we have accepted to be real. It's just a reality that sometimes stinks. Especially for our kids.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an area where we would appreciate your prayers.</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-34990786851625700392017-09-01T11:18:00.002-04:002017-09-01T11:18:58.845-04:00Praying our Way to Bolivia<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's hard to believe, but September is here! We are now in our target departure month. It's hard to believe. And we are still well on track to hit the target of leaving by the end of the month. We have chosen today (Friday, September 1, 2017) as a prayer emphasis day to really focus on praying for some of the needs we have as we wrap up our time in the States and to ensure a September departure. Of course, we welcome all prayers at any time. Would you agree with us in the following areas?</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God is already answering prayer!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, before I start, I need to share something exciting!! We have been asking people to pray about decisions regarding Genevieve's schooling in Bolivia. I even included in our our prayer post from the other day. Today I was planning to post a more specific prayer about a school we have been looking at and hoping that they would have room and accept her late. We have been praying about it and even prayed about it this morning. Well, we heard this morning that the school is accepting Genevieve!!! This is phenomenal news for us and we want to express a big thank you to God for His goodness in this!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now let's agree together that God will similarly move in other areas.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prayer needs in preparation for departure</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please agree with us in prayer regarding:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visas/Residency Docs</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That the kids will have no issues with the necessary immunizations required (and otherwise necessary) so we can submit their visa applications</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God will already be moving in the hearts of the workers at the consulate to receive and approve the kids' applications without any issues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That our remaining documents will arrive in a timely manner so we can get them certified</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God will already be moving in the hearts of the workers at the consulate to legalize all our residency documents with no issues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That we will find favor throughout this entire process</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That the remaining 10% of our budget will come in through new partnering churches and individuals so we can hit the 100% mark we'll need prior to departure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the remaining services and meetings we already have scheduled to share our hearts and an opportunity for partnership</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would put us on the hearts of those who have already considered partnering with us financially and make a way</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would put us on the hearts of those who haven't already considered partnering with us financially and make a way</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would supernaturally put us on the hearts of those who don't even know us yet and make a way</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would give us favor in any board/leadership meetings where churches are discussing partnership with us</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would give us other services or meetings as our schedule allows</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personal</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would help us navigate through the emotions of preparing to say goodbye to life as we know it and leave for Bolivia (for all of us but especially for the kids who are still learning how to better navigate emotions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would help us as we pack for Bolivia - that we would know what to take and what to leave (sell, give away, pack away, throw away)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For traveling mercies as I (Mike) go to Florida for just about a week (Sept 2-6)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For traveling mercies for all our remaining travels prior to departure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For favor as we go through medical, dental and eye exams</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For us to get all the paperwork done correctly for Genevieve to go to school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For strength as we seek to tie up any other loose ends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That God would help us not to be anxious as we go through this process</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, there are so many other specifics I could offer, but these are the ones that come to mind as I write this. Hopefully this is at least a starter for some ways you can be agreeing with us. We have no doubt that God is able! He has always been faithful to us and we have confidence that He will remain faithful.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for your prayers! Please let us know how we can be praying with you (mikeandpollybrown@gmail.com). May God go with you always!!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-16452412367733246082017-08-29T15:00:00.000-04:002017-08-31T09:48:34.262-04:00Taking Aim at the Target<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">[UPDATED 08/31/17 09:43am]</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, September is almost here. Our target has been to leave for Bolivia in September for quite some time. One big question looms: Will we hit the target?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We believe that the answer to that question is, "Yes!" That answer is based on the fact that we believe that God is able! We also believe that we need to bring our needs and desires to the Lord in prayer. This is why we are sharing this prayer guide with you, so that you can agree with us for God to move in some specific areas as we take aim at the target. We ask you to agree regularly as God leads us through these areas. We are also specifically focusing on prayer this Friday, September 1st as it is the first day of our target month. Perhaps you may consider taking a little extra time to focus on prayer for us and these needs on that day.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-size: large; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clearance</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We must receive clearance in a number of areas prior to departure for Bolivia. Of those, these prayers are focused on 2: visa clearance and financial clearance.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1. Visa</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Polly and I already have our temporary visas necessary to arrive in Bolivia. The kids still need theirs, however. We also need to have all necessary documentation for temporary residency legalized by the Bolivian consulate in New York City prior to departure. Please pray for:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">[UPDATED] Favor as we send in applications for Genevieve and Jonah's visa to the Bolivian consulate in New York City</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the documents we need to apply for temporary residency to arrive quickly</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favor as these documents are certified</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The officials at the Bolivian consulate to accept and legalize all the documents (there is one in particular that could be an issue, though we are believing it won't be; thankfully a new plan B option would not affect our time frame)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Financial</b><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>Praise God</u></b> that we have reached 90% of our monthly budget raised which allows us to deal with our visas and, upon their approval, purchase our plane tickets. Please pray for:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The remaining 10% of our monthly budget to come in as we cannot leave until we are at 100%</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessings upon those who have partnered with us already</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">God to speak to the hearts of the church leaders and individuals who will become a part of our sending team through finances moving forward</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favor in all remaining itineration services, meetings and conversations</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preparation</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clearances are critical, but they are not the only thing requiring our attention. We have other things to focus on in preparation for our impending departure to Bolivia. Please pray for:</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">God to give us wisdom and guidance with what to pack and what to leave behind, sell, give away, throw away, etc.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Us to be able to acquire things we still need</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Decisions regarding Genevieve's schooling in Bolivia</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strength through all the impending goodbyes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favor in upcoming medical, dental and eye exams</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favor and wisdom as we prepare to purchase plane tickets</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traveling mercies as we travel a lot during our final month here</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strength to work through a busy schedule</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">God to help us navigate the emotions that come with transition</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any loose ends that need to be tied up</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favor and wisdom as friends help us look for housing in Bolivia</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, you can pray for us in any other area as you feel impressed on your heart by the Holy Spirit. Especially considering that these are items prior to our departure. There will be many prayers needed when we arrive and while we serve there as well. Thank you for praying with us. Please feel free to Facebook message us (facebook.com/mikeandpollybrown) or email us (mikeandpollybrown@gmail.com with anything that we can be praying for you about or with anything you feel the Lord puts on your heart regarding us as you pray. Thank you!</span></span></div>
</div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-33141473631778747212017-05-26T10:36:00.000-04:002017-05-26T10:36:19.693-04:00This is going to be epic!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Are we there yet?"</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's a question we expect to hear a lot over the next month and a half. Why? Because we are heading out on a nearly 7 week road trip.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During this trip we will either pass through or stop in each of the following 20 states:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Massachusetts, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Connecticut, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New York, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Jersey, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pennsylvania, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ohio, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indiana, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Illinois, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Missouri, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arkansas, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tennessee, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mississippi, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Louisiana, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alabama, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgia, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">South Carolina, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">North Carolina, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Virginia, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maryland, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">West Virginia</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's 40% of the states in the U.S. during one trip over just under 7 weeks.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is going to be epic!</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During this trip we will see family and old friends, meet with pastors/church leaders, preach, share about our mission, see new places, have fun adventures, witness some friends get married (Polly is actually in the wedding), go through security training, missionary training and missionary renewal, be commissioned as appointed missionaries with the Assemblies of God World Missions and even attend a district council.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is going to be epic!</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During this trip we will travel dozens of hours over thousands of miles. We will sleep in at least 12 different places, meaning 12 different beds. We will pass three holidays - Memorial Day, Father's Day and Independence Day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is going to be epic!</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in order for this trip to be epic, it needs one more very critical thing: prayer. That's why I'm writing this blog. We desire your prayers covering numerous things as we embark on this epic road trip. Will you pray with us?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are some of the specifics areas about which you can be praying for us, but also please feel free to pray for other areas as the Spirit leads you. I have broken down the list into sections to better organize it:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Spiritually</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That during a crazy, busy schedule we would make time to spend in prayer and Bible reading</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit for opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ with people on our journey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That we would look more like Jesus at the end of the trip than the beginning</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Physically</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For health - we will be traveling so much and interacting with so many people; also, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we will have to work harder to find/create time to exercise and will be eating out more than usual; we need self-control</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For rest - we will be sleeping in different places and running on a different schedule than the norm and driving a lot of miles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For safety in travel - we will be traveling a lot of miles with a lot of other motorists; we are driving an older van with nearly 200,000 miles on it so prayers for the van to experience no mechanical issues would be great too</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For good weather - for travel and personal protection and enjoyment</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Relationally/Socially</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interpersonal family relationships - we will be traveling a lot of miles and spending a lot of hours together</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family - we will be seeing family we don't often see and even meeting family we've never met, including our 1-year-old niece</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends - we will be seeing old friends and making new ones</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those left behind - we won't be seeing my Massachusetts family during the trip and will only see Polly's Pennsylvania family near the beginning and end; the kids will also be leaving behind their close friends they've made here for the duration of the trip</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The right connections with the right people for the right reasons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That we would be a blessing to others and be willing to be blessed by others</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Emotionally</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spending lots of time together, especially in a car, lends itself to a range of emotions; we must be careful how we deal with and express those emotions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flip side of seeing old friends and making new ones and all that excitement is the inevitable "see you later"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patience, patience, patience - we will need lots of patience</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Mentally</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To stay awake and alert as we drive</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To grow and learn so much from others and especially in our trainings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clarity in mind and thought as we make travel and other decisions</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Financially</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For great gas mileage and great deals at hotels (thankfully, we will be spending very little time in hotels)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For God's blessing over those who generously give to our budget which covers the travel and training expenses</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That the offerings/donations we receive on the road would cover the travel expenses</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For God's blessing over those who have graciously offered housing and/or meals during this journey</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Ministerially</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For great services when we have the opportunity to preach/share</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For great meetings with pastors/church leaders</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For favor as we learn things that will help us in our ministry here and in Bolivia</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for your prayers! We're so excited for this trip but also a little overwhelmed and stressed. But we know that God goes with us and we trust Him to bring us through. This is going to be great. <b>With God, this is going to be epic!</b></span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-28079850899417628412016-11-22T10:00:00.000-05:002016-11-23T16:01:00.645-05:00Count Your Blessings<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Count your blessings.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever heard that phrase? It’s not a verse from the
Bible, but it is a theme we can certainly find in the Bible. Many of the psalms
involve the psalmnist looking back and recounting God’s blessings in his life.
The whole idea of memorial stones in the Bible seems to be a method of
memorializing blessings from God. Really, we could find and discuss a lot of
references in the Bible which speak to this idea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My concern in this blog during this Thanksgiving week,
however, is not that people in the Bible “counted” their blessings but why I
believe there’s value in doing it. Why count our blessings?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could use many of the psalms to make the following point,
but since I was reading </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+61&version=ESV" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Psalm 61</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> when I felt God put this word in my heart,
that’s the one I’ll use here. Specifically I want to focus on Psalm 61:1-3 (</span>ESV<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">):</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 Hear my cry, O God,<br /><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-61-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-14821B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-14821B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>listen to my prayer;</span><br />2 from the end of the earth I call to you<br /><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-61-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">when my heart is <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-14822C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-14822C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>faint.</span><br />Lead me to <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-14822D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-14822D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>the rock<br /><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-61-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">that is higher than I,</span><br />3 for you have been <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-14823E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-14823E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>my refuge,<br /><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">a strong <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-14823F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-14823F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>tower against the enemy.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">David prays to God with confidence and faith believing that the Lord is going to answer him. Why? I think the key to that answer is found in verse 3. It's because God has already proven Himself faithful in the past as a refuge and strong tower to David. And here is the truth that I felt like God put in my heart as I was reading this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>God's past faithfulness fuels our present faith.</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our faith is not a blind faith. Our faith is a result of looking back and seeing God's hand on our lives. When we see how faithful He has been to us, it motivates and encourages us to have faith in our present circumstances!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why count our blessings? Why take time to think about all the things for which we have to be thankful? Why take time to thank God for all He has done? So that we can remember His past faithfulness to give us the faith we need now. He has done it before and He can do it again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the reason David points out God's faithfulness to him in the past. This is the reason Joshua set up the memorial of 12 stones in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+4&version=ESV" target="_blank">Joshua 4</a>. And this is the reason we too should count our blessings and express our thankfulness for all God has done and accomplished in our lives this year: to have the faith to believe for Him to answer us again in the year to come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I encourage you to take some time to set up your own memorial stones. Count your blessings. Write them down. Remember all the good things God has done for you. Give Him thanks. Then when you're standing in front of an obstacle that seems so challenging, you can have the faith to know that God is faithful and that you can trust Him!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">**UPDATE** I want to share an example of this that came yesterday morning before I wrote this post but after I had decided to write it. We were blessed to receive a generous personal cash gift from the Southern New England Ministry Network's Women's Ministry this year. We wanted to be able to use the whole thing for Christmas but needed to put 2/3 of the gift toward our credit card. Yesterday morning when we opened our statement of donations, we noticed that a friend had made a personal cash donation to us (totally unexpected) for the exact same amount of the other donation we needed to put toward our credit card. We were once again reminded that God is faithful, even in "simple" things like this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">** Want to read more? I wrote a blog a couple of years ago about how a hen came to symbolize God's faithfulness in our family. <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-hen-came-to-symbolize-faithfulness.html" target="_blank">Check it out!</a> **</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-3364537101390440292016-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:002016-10-06T10:00:21.720-04:00Unloading the Weight<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a little over 3 weeks since I started regularly exercising and eating healthier. And I am feeling great. I have been losing weight and getting stronger and faster by the day.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was running last week, a thought occurred to me: I am improving exponentially. I believe there is a good reason for this. I am running (and riding my bike one day a week) which is building my muscle and making me stronger. But I'm also losing weight in the process. And the more weight I lose is the less weight I need to carry with me as I run.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fit with another thought I had recently: The hardest thing to do is to get going. But once you get going, it's a lot easier to keep going. It's like a ball rolling down a hill. It starts off slow but it gets going and starts flying. I really do believe that most people just need to find that motivation to get started. And something I think that will help is by remembering that you can't tackle it all at once. You're not going to lose weight and get in shape in one day. It will take time. But you have to start that time at some point. My mentality is that you should just aim to do better than before in the beginning. You don't have to hit the ideal right away. Get the ball rolling.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I had the initial thought last week, another thought came to me: This is not much different than another aspect of our lives. How often are we carrying heavy burdens with us? How often are we trudging through feeling defeated and overwhelmed? We need to start getting rid of some of that baggage, because once we get going it will become easier. The less weight we're carrying with us the more confidence we have that we'll get rid of the rest. This is true of our physical bodies, but also mentally and spiritually, I believe.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 ring so loudly as I think of this:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">28</span></b> Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>29</b></span> Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>30</b></span> For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (ESV)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know what you're carrying with you right now. But I do know who can help you: Jesus. As I read in my devotions on Wednesday, Psalm 30:11-12 says,</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>11</b></span> You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>12</b></span> that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> my God, I will give thanks to you forever! (ESV)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it's time to get out there and start shedding some weight, both physically and metaphorically. I want to leave you with some encouragement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Physical Weight Loss Encouragement</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get out there and get started. Start small. Take a walk around the block. Want to run? Start with some walking breaks in the middle. "Oh, but that's not good enough. I should be able to run the whole thing." Listen, you will with time. But you need to start somewhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Metaphorical Weight Loss Encouragement</u></span> </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spend some time in prayer and reading the Bible. Ask God to take your burdens. He can give you rest that you will never achieve on your own. Not ready for the certain things yet? Start with something you are ready for. Trust Him. He will never let you down.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are 2 more verses:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psalm 68:19</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (NIV)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Peter 5:6-7</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>6</b></span> Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></b> casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV)</span></blockquote>
<div>
</div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-90021777278090612552016-09-29T10:38:00.001-04:002016-09-29T10:38:57.903-04:00Celebrate Good Times, Come On!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people lose weight leading up to their wedding day. I, unfortunately (in this instant), was not like most people. I was the heaviest weight of my entire life around my wedding and honeymoon. I had never really struggled with weight issues until college and the years following. I've covered more about that story in <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2013/12/7-years-of-feast-and-famine.html" target="_blank">a blog</a> already so I won't cover it here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I lost my weight in 2009, I had done a pretty good job of keeping it off. I went to Costa Rica weighing about 175 lbs (about 10 more than my ideal weight). I don't know how much I weighed upon our return but that number ballooned even higher after reintroducing myself to some of my favorite foods (especially cheese) that I hadn't enjoyed very much during our time there. When I finally weighed myself back on Sept. 12 I was about 190 lbs...25 lbs more than my ideal weight. Oops. It was time for a change. So I decided on a reverse New Year's Resolution. To lose 25 lbs by the New Year. 111 days. 25 lbs. The challenge was on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I have spent the past few weeks changing my eating habits and exercising again. And as of Monday (2 weeks after starting), I was down 6 lbs. More than that, I feel stronger, faster, healthier, and just all-around better. Oh, and my clothes fit better. I still have a long way to go, but it has been a good start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was thinking about how nice it is to celebrate these victories. Then I read <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+21&version=ESV" target="_blank">Psalm 21</a> in my devotional time one day. I want to highlight a few verses that share one thing relevant to this that I took from this psalm:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 O L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7 For the king trusts in the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13 Be exalted, O L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, I think it's great to celebrate our little victories. But that's because I think it's a great opportunity to remind ourselves that our victories come not in our own strength but in the strength of the Lord. God is the one that gets the glory and the credit for our victories. They are reminders for us to thank God for His goodness and favor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since early on when I started running again years ago, I have run with a mantra: "In His Strength. For His glory." I run with God's strength and do it to glorify Him because He's so good! So I do celebrate a great start to accomplishing my goal. I celebrate to thank God for the strength to have a great start. Let's never lose focus or forget to thank God for His goodness to us and the strength that He gives us!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>BONUS: Running Tips</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I'm sure some of you reading this are in a similar place, trying to lose weight, I thought I'd share a few personal tips. Healthy eating habits are also critical and a different discussion altogether. These are strictly some tips regarding the exercise. I'm not a medical professional nor a running professional and these are just personal thoughts, not official scientific advice:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Change up your runs</i></b> - Do not run the same distance or pace every day or even every week. You should vary course, distance and pace. Some examples of types of runs you can do are:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Distance runs - Run an easy pace where you can talk and aren't breathing heavy for your longer runs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mid-distance runs - Run a pace where you are breathing a little heavier, not really able to carry a conversation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hills - Find a hill at whatever grade and length you're okay with and do repeats by running up at a good pace and then jogging back down. Repeat at least 3-5 times.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Intervals - This is best done at a track or around a block. You run a lap fast, then jog a lap. Repeat at least 4 of each (8 total laps). If one lap around the track is too much to start, do half the lap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fartleks - During a normal jog you can randomly pick an object within view and sprint to that object before returning to your normal pace.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are obviously many other types of runs, but this gives an idea. The point is that if you run the same distance and pace and route all the time, your muscles will start becoming adjusted to it and you'll eventually stop improving. By switching things up, you'll be better off in the long run (pun not initially intended).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Be creative with running routes</i> - I recently did a running route that had me pass by all the houses in which I have lived in Malden as well as the hospital where I was born. This made for a far more interesting run because I had lots of little destinations and had lots of opportunities for reminiscing as I run.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Cross train</i> - Even if you prefer running like I do, cross training is always advised. I haven't always stuck to this, but I am this go-round. You can swim, ride a bike, row, etc. The idea is to still do cardio activities but not running.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Create a plan</i> - In order to make sure you are changing things up, you should create a plan. This also helps ensure that you are more likely to not take off days when you should be running. You are more likely to follow a schedule if you actually create one. I continue to tweak mine but it currently looks like this:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monday - Speed drills (hills, intervals or fartleks)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday - Cross-training (biking)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday - 5k (mid-distance) running pace</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday - Off</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday - Long distance jog (the goal is to still get faster as you continue training)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday - Weight training or crossfit style workout (or active family activity)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday - Off</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will still walk or do other activities during off days or other days beyond my workout at time, but your body needs rest from strenuous exercise at least once a week (in my opinion). The key is that you have constant goals.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Set attainable mini-goals</i> - Set goals along the way aside from your ultimate goal. Make sure they're attainable. But little victories give us confidence towards bigger victories. And they remind us that God is with us, giving us strength!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-76031616645904673912016-09-20T09:11:00.000-04:002016-09-20T09:23:44.035-04:00Just Keep Peddling<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This past Sunday, we didn't have a scheduled service, so we decided to attend my home church where I grew up which is not far from where we've been staying. Already ready to go by 9:00am for a 10:30am service and knowing the church was only 2-3 miles away, I decided to walk to church on a beautiful day. I asked Jonah if he wanted to go with me. Of course, he did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jonah has one of those tricycles that has an optional handle in the back to push. So whether he's peddling or not, we can push him on it. He can move the tricycle a little on his own, but he certainly couldn't have made it the 3 miles (as it turned out to be). So I walked, pushing Jonah along. Even still, he just kept peddling along the way.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5huxwbJ5C35wNX98no494kxQMOIOI11_UkFj5qzKti5YinhWJFskM08bYNHbOKjy9mhdoxn_mR5upb_XwvTqQWCiqKuPnsRManBuZRaHHaOTyb74oLSLIoLreNyi4BMHhdO4sm8sFb4/s1600/Jonah+Tricycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5huxwbJ5C35wNX98no494kxQMOIOI11_UkFj5qzKti5YinhWJFskM08bYNHbOKjy9mhdoxn_mR5upb_XwvTqQWCiqKuPnsRManBuZRaHHaOTyb74oLSLIoLreNyi4BMHhdO4sm8sFb4/s320/Jonah+Tricycle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At one point a thought occurred to me:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jonah never questioned the route we took. He never questioned my decision to cross a street or when to do it. He never questioned my choice to be on one side of the road or the other. He just kept looking forward (occasionally turning to look at his surroundings) and just kept peddling.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jonah was going for a ride on his tricycle with me, his daddy. He trusted me. And for good reason. I was born and raised in Malden. And I had been to that church hundreds (possibly thousands) of times during my life. I knew how we needed to go to get there. I knew where we were going. I knew how to get there. There were a number of ways we could have gone, but I opted for what I thought to be the best path for us. <b>Not the shortest path. Not the path with the best views. The best path.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This isn't much different from our lives in a number of ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God, our heavenly Father (and no, I'm not trying to compare myself with God, just making an analogy using my role as a father), always knows where we need to go and how we need to get there. Our job is not to think we know better and question the path. Our job is to keep looking forward and just keep peddling. And similar to Jonah riding his tricycle, even though we're peddling, God's really the one enabling us to keep moving forward. It's really by His strength and not our own. But He does allow us to do our part and peddle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We need to remember that God knows the best path for us. <b>Not necessarily the shortest path. Not necessarily the path with the best views. But it's the best path for us!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe you're going through a situation you don't understand right now. Maybe you don't understand the timing...you think you're ready to arrive at whatever is next. I want to encourage you today to trust in God. He's got this. Just keep plugging away and trusting Him. Just keep peddling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"For who is God, but the L</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ORD</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And who is a rock, except our God?</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">the God who equipped me with strength</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and made my way blameless."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Psalm 18:31, 32 (ESV)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-11094003193458777202016-09-19T10:43:00.000-04:002016-09-19T10:43:02.170-04:00Confusing the Why with the What<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of my life lessons and analogies come from running. Today was no different.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently started re-emphasizing a healthy lifestyle. This includes running more regularly. Because I am the way that I am, this means logging my various workouts. I like to keep track of what I've done so that I can measure improvement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At one point during my run today, I cut a corner shorter by about a couple of feet. In reality, I didn't really cut it all that short. But because I am the way that I am, I think of silly things like this. I was thinking about how I could even log that. Then I thought about the extra steps I had taken in a different area and how I didn't even consider over-running what I would log. If this sounds confusing, it's probably because my mind tends to be confusing. Regardless, the point is the same. I was focusing on how to log my run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It almost immediately hit me. This is what we can do in other areas of life as well. We begin doing a certain activity, get into a routine, so that we can grow in a certain area. But at some point along the way, we begin to focus more on what we're doing and can actually lose focus on why we're doing it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's look at one spiritual application.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you pray? Do you read the Bible? Why do you do those things? Hopefully you do those things because you want to grow spiritually, in your walk with the Lord. You want to grow in your faith. Have you ever tracked this? Have you ever allowed prayer and/or Bible reading to become a "check-list" item? You know, something you do to say you've done it. But you don't do those things to satisfy a to-do list, right? You do them to grow. But instead of focusing on seeing that growth, you begin to focus on the activity that is meant to help you achieve your goal.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Further into my run another thought hit me. This time it was as I was taking a selfie while running. Again, I was losing sight of what mattered most. I allowed this run to become an opportunity to show people that I was running. While there is a good level of accountability this can provide, the motive what probably more of me wanting people to see that I was running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's go back to that spiritual application.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you sit down with a Bible and cup of coffee so that Instagram or Facebook knows that you're doing your devos (short for devotionals, which is a common word used to incapsulate the idea of praying and reading the Bible)? I'm not saying it's wrong to post photos in these moments. I'm just suggesting that we check our motives.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I encourage myself and you today. Let's not get so caught on what we're doing but remain focused on why we're doing it. It's possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons. It's also possible to do the wrong things for the right reasons. I want to do the right things for the right reasons today.</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-69978922692090806852016-09-15T15:54:00.000-04:002016-09-15T15:59:11.150-04:00Thank You<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is probably our shortest blog posts, but it's also one of our most important ones.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Polly and I visited a partnering church last night for a service. We were on the stage during the time of praise and worship. As I looked out at the crowd of people in this church which has supported us from early on, this thought came to me:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When some people think about missionaries they think about sacrifice. They think about the sacrifices that missionaries make in order to serve their respective fields. They think of how missionaries leave family and friends and livelihoods behind. They think of how missionaries give up the feeling of control and stability regarding their finances. And it's true...missionaries do make sacrifices.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But as I continued to look out at the people in that church, my thoughts turned to the sacrifices they made. Many people in that room give generously of their time to pray for missionaries and finances to help missionaries do what they do. Specifically, these people in this church helped us get to Costa Rica and will help us get to Bolivia. And they have sacrificed to do it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have no doubt many make other sacrifices as well, but it was these sacrifices that I was thinking about. The sacrifices that helped us. The truth is that we couldn't have made any of our sacrifices if they (and many others) hadn't made their sacrifices first.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the service last night, we were approached by a family (Polly and I went to school with the dad, who wasn't there last night). They wanted to tell us that they pray for us regularly. Specifically the 5 year old son always wants to pray for us and wanted to meet us. It was such a sweet, humbling moment that I had to take a photo with them:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdN20-2jTSe9LgKdhnEocFikPKwRvtttYyAa51e3yvOCKaEiKBENQIOMXtyHQJx1MY8G07IoV07RW_BSsfaB7tv-8ffBeIXfYZKYwzl53HuCEXtZizJtlqrJy18fL7Sil779tv3u1-3Os/s1600/photo+2-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdN20-2jTSe9LgKdhnEocFikPKwRvtttYyAa51e3yvOCKaEiKBENQIOMXtyHQJx1MY8G07IoV07RW_BSsfaB7tv-8ffBeIXfYZKYwzl53HuCEXtZizJtlqrJy18fL7Sil779tv3u1-3Os/s320/photo+2-10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So with that truly humbling thought in mind, we want to say a big THANK YOU! to everyone who has made a sacrifice in any area of life on our behalf to make our missions work possible. So if you have given a single penny or a split second in prayer or a few moments to care about us in reading our blogs, newsletters, updates or in sending us a word of encouragement, thank you! We appreciate you!!! May the Lord bless you and increase to you many times over for all you have offered on our behalf!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-86458880328246902672016-09-09T18:56:00.002-04:002016-09-09T18:56:55.944-04:00A Couple of Trains and a Lesson on Trust<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During my morning run, I stopped to take a few photos while on a bridge over the Mystic River. While taking a photo, I noticed an orange line train crossing another bridge over the Mystic. Then I saw another coming from the opposite direction. They were heading toward each other.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibATNBYz3u_BgGZNxJ4osFHXVsacihgl_0Vk6VDwrsOqS2u5oLYYRonaCt_bYminm73p_UzYCUk1I6BsK_nyPfFG7cdSNYkoSIMm7HoPTfB77ApRPJmBxDcI1INUa1xOi6TebtKYliaI4/s1600/photo-5+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibATNBYz3u_BgGZNxJ4osFHXVsacihgl_0Vk6VDwrsOqS2u5oLYYRonaCt_bYminm73p_UzYCUk1I6BsK_nyPfFG7cdSNYkoSIMm7HoPTfB77ApRPJmBxDcI1INUa1xOi6TebtKYliaI4/s320/photo-5+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this photo, if you look really closely, you can see the two trains heading toward each other just as they are about to...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, let's be real. We all know that these trains were not going to crash. They were on different tracks. Although I knew they weren't going to crash, I couldn't help but think about how they looked like they could.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I continued running, a couple thoughts came to mind which both ultimately teach a lesson about trust. I want to share those thoughts with you now.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>1. Trust the Conductor</u></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trains looked like they could have crashed from where I was standing. But there were conductors on board each train who knew that they were on the right track, so they knew they wouldn't crash. And it's unlikely that anyone on the train even realized there was another train until it was passing. It's also unlikely that anyone worried that they were going to crash. Why? They trusted the conductors.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God always knows what is best for us. He is our great Conductor, guiding us along the right train tracks. And while trains really can crash and train conductors can make mistakes, God is perfect. We can always be confident and know that He will take good care of us.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But sometimes, we think we can figure things out better than God, our Creator, can. We think that our plans will be better than God's plans. We think the other set of train tracks look better. So we switch to the other tracks and...CRASH! We make choices every day. But we need to make sure that the choices we're making are according to God's will and plan for our lives. We need to trust Him!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know there's potentially another problem with going against God's will? Think about it...if we're doing the wrong things, then perhaps whatever we're doing was meant for someone else. Our plans crash into each other. For example:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We want Job A. But God knows that Job 1 would be better for us. We still decide to go with Job A because we think it will be better. We trust ourselves over God. Now we're doing Job A (which won't be as good for us as Job 1) and the person who should be doing Job A is left to look elsewhere.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe it's not that drastic...but maybe it is. Regardless, our decisions have consequences: some good, some bad. And sometimes those consequences impact other people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, we should always want what God wants for us. It has been my experience that when I have had a plan for something and God has led me a different way, I have always ended up looking on it (whether sooner or later) realizing that God's way was the better way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need to trust God as He leads us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u><b>2. God's Perspective is Perfect</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thought I had was about perspective. From my perspective, it looked like the trains could have crashed. The problem was that my perspective didn't have all the facts and information available to it. There were different sets of tracks on that bridge, but I couldn't see them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's a problem with perspective: we don't always have the best one. In fact, we really never have the perfect perspective. How often have we held an opinion about something or made a decision about something only to learn later that we were operating with the wrong perspective. But God does have a perfect perspective! Always!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God has all the information, all the details. He sees and knows everything. I don't. So His perspective of any situation is the perfect one. I would rather trust His perfect perspective over my imperfect one. He sees the big picture. He knows what we need and when.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Trust God</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can't steer our own train. We don't have a perfect perspective. The solution to each fact is the same: we need to trust God!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are so grateful to those who have taken time to pray for us as we have been walking through this transition. Thank you so much if you have prayed for us. We spent the last 3 days of focused prayer asking God to answer some specific prayers. Last night as I was praying for the final time during the 3 days of focused prayer, I felt like the Lord put something on my heart: that we need to just trust Him because He knows what we need and when. He will take care of us. He has the answers. I felt such a peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was running today, before I even came upon the trains, I kept singing a line from a song (not even a Christian one) over and over again: "When one door closes, I pray one more opens." I was thinking about how we need to accept God's answer, even when it's a "No" and He closes a door. Because I know that He will open a different door will will prove to be better in the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we don't have all the answers to our requests from the past 3 days. But we know that when God gives us the answers, they will be the right ones. We will trust Him!</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-54347720327237199932016-09-06T09:29:00.000-04:002016-09-07T10:29:02.499-04:003 Focused Days of Prayer<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We ask for prayer from time to time and have mentioned a few specific needs recently. We are still awaiting answers to some needs and have just started a very important itineration season, so have decided take 3 days of focused prayer (which I felt in my heart this morning, Sept 6). We are asking for any who would be willing to join us in prayer to take some time over the next 3 days (September 6-8, 2016) to pray for the following needs:</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Living Arrangements</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are still awaiting the go to move into the house we'll be renting through December before we move into a church's missionary apartment. Please pray that the inspection and everything else would go smoothly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We will be needing a few furniture items for these 4 months. Thankfully, God has already answered our need for a fridge and some living room furniture, but there are some other needs. The biggest of these needs is a twin bed for Genevieve <span style="color: red;">[Update: Someone contacted us yesterday with a twin bed for Genevieve]</span>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We will also be needing a few small appliances like a microwave and toaster <span style="color: red;">[Update: It sounds like we have a microwave now too]</span>.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Transportation</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are still waiting for the vehicle we will be using to be fixed. The part should have been shipped and it should be done soon but let's pray for that as we need this vehicle.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We need this vehicle to last this itineration cycle. Please pray for God's favor over the car, that it will not have issues moving forward.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We need safety as we travel. Itineration involves a lot of travel. We ask the Lord's hand of protection as we travel.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fundraising</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We need to raise our monthly and cash budgets prior to departure for Bolivia. We are hoping this will take about a year. This will take God's help as we cannot do this on our own.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For our schedule to remain full during this itineration season. We hope to have opportunities to visit churches each Sunday. And, of course, we are hoping for many of those that we visit which don't already partner with us to become monthly partners. We are also hoping for current partnering churches to continuing partnership with us.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the right opportunities to connect with individuals. We don't only seek church partnership but also partnership with individuals. We are hoping for family, friends and strangers to commit to monthly support or one-time donations. We are also hoping for current partnering individuals to continuing partnership with us.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For other fundraising opportunities.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the right words to speak whether we're sharing a window or sermon at churches, sharing with pastors, boards or missions committees or sharing with individuals.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Homeschooling</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We (mostly Polly) will begin homeschooling Genevieve this week. She will be starting the 1st grade. We need the wisdom, guidance and patience to not only do it, but do it well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Genevieve to thrive in her schooling.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Jonah to do well as he learns and grows and for Polly to balance taking care of him with teaching Genevieve.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personal Finances</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beyond raising our budget, we also would like prayer for our personal finances. We still have some school debt and have a small amount of other debt which we would like to eliminate as quickly as possible.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That we could settle in to start working on setting our personal spending budget for while we're here in the States. Our current situation isn't the norm so we haven't really been able to figure this out yet.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personal</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since we haven't settled into a normal routine and schedule, we still feel like we're in transition. We would love to settle in. Beyond that, we ask for prayer concerning the following areas:</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spiritual - Our schedules are crazy but we consider time of prayer and devotion (Bible reading) to be very important to our personal lives and in preparation for itineration and ultimately our ministry in Bolivia.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Physical - We ask for health and safety as we go through this itineration (and always). I also need to find a routine so I can become physically active in exercise more regularly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Emotional - Emotions can fly at times when people feel that there is no firm footing beneath them in a transition. We know that God is our firm footing which has helped, but we can still use emotional strength.<span style="color: red;"> [Update: Genevieve had a really difficult day emotionally on Sept. 6. But through that, she also opened up about some of the things she misses and why she wants to go back. This was good for her to verbalize, I think. Please pray especially for her during this transition.]</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Relational - We want to have great interpersonal relationships within our family and also be great family and friends to those around us. We also want to continue to make and develop new relationships with others. Also pray as the kids continue to develop their social skills.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mental - We need to continue growing and learning mentally. We need to keep up our Spanish so we don't make it more difficult on ourselves when we move to Bolivia. We also need to have times to rest and relaxation to remain mentally strong.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm sure there are other areas where we can use prayer. If while you're praying you feel the Lord puts something in your heart regarding us, would you please message or email us to share it with us. We appreciate you taking your time to pray for/with us. Would you also pray blessing over my (Mike's) parents as they have given so much of their time, home and vehicle to help us through this transition. May God bless you as well!</span></div>
</div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-68145714401684517632016-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-02T08:00:34.561-04:00He Chooses to Use Us!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday I shared about how <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2016/09/he-is-mindful-of-us.html" target="_blank">God thinks about and takes care of us</a>. I based it out of Psalm 8, which I had read the night before for my devotions. Well, last night I read Psalm 9 for my devotions and a verse in that chapter brought to mind a thought that pairs with yesterday's.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"For the needy shall not always be forgotten,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." (Psalm 9:18 ESV)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday I was looking at God's care for us from my perspective as a person with a need. As I read this verse, I couldn't help but think about the fact that we will be working with poor and needy people in Bolivia, especially through the ministry of Latin America ChildCare. While we don't deserve it (similar to how we don't deserve God's care for us), God has chosen to use us as a part of the solution for the poor and needy there. His sending us is proof that "the needy shall not always be forgotten" and that "the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." He's sending us because He hasn't forgotten those we'll be working with, just as He hadn't forgotten us Wednesday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God used the people in <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2016/09/he-is-mindful-of-us.html" target="_blank">the story I shared yesterday</a> to bless us. I don't know why God chooses to use people. It's a great mystery. But I do know that He does choose to use us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I want to encourage you today that you might be a part of God's solution to somebody's need. You never know whom you might encounter, but you can be willing to be used and be ready to be a blessing, whatever that may entail in a given situation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God doesn't need us. In fact, I believe He can work in spite of us. But I would rather that He could work through me. I want to be obedient and participate. Let's be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be a blessing to other's today. What might seem so simple to us could be a huge answer to prayer for someone else.</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-25601968386282633782016-09-01T10:52:00.000-04:002016-09-01T10:52:09.948-04:00He Is Mindful of Us!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not one of "those people" who LOVE trips to Walmart. In fact, it was after over 3 weeks being back in the States before we finally made a trip to Wally World yesterday. And it was really only because my mother needed us to pick up some things for her. We had just finished our laundry and had about an hour before lunch, so we decided to head that way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday morning in the car there were issues we discussed: 1. That we needed solution regarding laundry (we were under the impression that we wouldn't have a hook-up in the house we'll be living for 4 months even though we have a washer and dryer) and 2. That we needed to get Genevieve set with her homeschooling. I reminded Polly that we needed to call a friend who has been homeschooling her kids in Malden for years to help with that, which we had meant to do the day before. I know for sure we prayed about the first. I can't recall but we may have also prayed about the second. We have learned many times in our lives that we need God to meet these needs, because we cannot without him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, fast forward to Walmart. As we were getting some produce we saw a familiar face. It was the owner of the house we'll be renting for the next 4 months. We asked her about the washer and dryer hook-up and she told us that we can been misinformed. There is a washer and dryer hook-up. I wish you could have seen the joy in Polly's face. With all the rest of our hectic lives, that's one less hectic aspect to it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We continued shopping and I went into an aisle to pick up some pencils for Genevieve. I heard, "Michael?" I look over and who is it? Our friend (my former youth pastor) who we were needing to call about homeschooling. I hadn't seen her in years. We weren't originally planning to go to Walmart. She said she almost never goes during the day. And yet there we both were the day that we were talking about needing to talk to her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coincidences? I think not. I believe that God was reminding us, once again, that He has everything under control and is taking care of us. The psalm I read in my devotions last night says, "Who is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4 ESV) Really we don't deserve to have God think of us and take care of us. But as David continues to point out in this psalm, he does think of and care for us. What's was David's response to that reality? The same that ours should be:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1a and 8:9)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you God for reminding us again that you think of and care for us!!!</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-55554645580357275762016-08-31T09:00:00.000-04:002016-08-31T09:16:22.786-04:00Next Book in the Series<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever read a really good book? One where you cannot wait to turn the page to see what happens next? Genevieve and I read one together recently that she really enjoyed. It was a kid detective story. After each chapter, she wanted me to keep going.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever read a series that good? You finish one book and cannot wait to tackle the next? I was that way with <u>The Lord of the Rings</u> among others. Sometimes, though, the next book in the series can take a little time to get going.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is where we are right now in our lives. At first I was thinking about how we're turning the page or starting a new chapter. But really I feel like the better comparison is a book series. We're living out <u>The Brown Family Missionary Adventures</u>. We've already lived out the first 2 books: <i>The Prequel: Preparation for the Journey</i> and <i>Pura Vida Costa Rica</i>. Now we're living out the next book: <i>The Transition</i>. This is our first time going through such a transition. It's slow moving in the beginning, but we're still excited to see where the story leads us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We still haven't moved into our transitional house yet. This is where we'll be living until we move into missionary housing at a church in January. We should be moving within the next couple weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We still don't have a vehicle yet, though the part has been ordered and hopefully will ship in the next day or two. This means that we should have the van by next week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">But while we're continuing to work out these details we've already begun the itineration process, as we've shared at 2 partnering churches. We'll continue visiting and sharing at churches each Sunday with occasional midweek services scattered during our time in the States. Once we have a vehicle, we'll also begin meeting more regularly throughout the week over coffee with pastors and individuals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">We'll feel more settled when we have a more normal routine and schedule, but things are settling. We're beginning a new chapter in our current book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">This is the first of many chapters covering fundraising, the majority of the material that will be covered in this book. The simple fact is that we cannot go to Bolivia until we have all the necessary funds to go. This will take the continued partnership of churches and individuals as well as the new partnership of churches and individuals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">I'm sure there will be plot twists and many moments of conflict and resolution. We don't yet know all of the characters that will enter the storyline in this book. But what we do know with certainty is how the book will end: with a cliffhanger of the Browns ready to go to Bolivia to bring good news to lost and hurting people, anticipating the next book in the series: <i>Browns in Bolivia</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Would you like to be a character in this story? Would you like to invest in the next book through financial partnership in this one? Please contact us for more information on partnership.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">We're excited to keep turning the pages, working our way through the chapters. We want to enjoy this book but also eagerly look forward to finishing it in due time so we can begin the next book in the series.</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-1132490650731664982016-08-23T11:33:00.003-04:002016-08-23T11:33:55.248-04:00What Do We Actually Do?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've now been back in the States for 2 weeks, working through this transition. I'm sure some wonder what we actually do during our itineration year (until we leave for Bolivia). So I figured it was worth the effort to share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Logistics</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many logistical things to work through.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're still in the process of finalizing details on our temporary apartment until we move into a missionary apartment in January. We need to ensure we will have all the furniture and such we will need there without investing a lot of money since it's only for 4 months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're also still in the process of having the necessary work done on the van we will be using in the States. Until then we're using public transit, borrowing vehicles and getting rides. The itinerant life is not easy without a vehicle so we hope to have this finally resolved shortly (a donor has offered to help with this!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another big item is emptying the storage locker someone has been keeping for us while we were gone. We need to go through our things, figure out what we still need to keep now that we have a better idea of this life and bring them back to the Boston area. A family from my church has offered up space at their house to store stuff for now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many more logistics including visas and such which will come as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Partner Building</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The logistics keep us busy, but there is an actual purpose of us being back in the States: to build our financial partner base through traveling to churches and getting together with family and friends. We can't go to Bolivia until we have our full budget raised, so this is critical. This means phone calls and emails to churches trying to get services and otherwise connecting with pastors, family and friends to share our hearts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a pastor or individual and would like to hear more and connect with us over coffee or via Facetime/Skype (if you're not in the area), we would love to meet with you. Please call or text us at 774-262-5554, email us at mikeandpollybrown@gmail.com or Facebook message us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Preparation</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have meetings, interviews and trainings before we can be approved and ultimately go and serve in Bolivia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are other conferences and events we may attend relating to the ministries with which we'll be involved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also have to study and prepare in other ways for our lives and ministry in Bolivia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Visiting People and Places</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have already mixed a bit of this into our first 2 weeks. The kids are really dealing with this transition and it's important to visit people and the places that are special to us here in the States. We want to help them as best as we can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It may look like "vacation" to some but work continues. We're just prioritizing our free times to include as many fun, special events, moments and memories as possible. And many of those events are being offered by gifts by family and friends who want to love on us and our kids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. School</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polly will be homeschooling the kids during our itineration year. So the Brown Academy will be starting soon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So as you see, this is far from a year off. We will be busy, while trying to mix in as many special moments as possible. Thank you for your cares, prayers and financial partnership.</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-11780988717474904652016-08-11T14:26:00.000-04:002016-08-11T20:06:55.326-04:00Transition<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, as we've been posting about we have said goodbye to Costa Rica and our amazing friends there. Some have asked how things are going here in the States. On the one hand, it's been great seeing some family and a little of the things we've missed here but on the other hand we're still pretty unsettled so it's a tough thing to assess.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have gone through the process of goodbyes and will certainly miss people and things in Costa Rica (I still start a lot of sentences with, "In Costa Rica..." and have found myself eaves-dropping on any Spanish conversation I have heard) but we're already ready to move forward to what life will look like here in the States for the next year (or so). And while this year in the U.S. is a transition year in its own way, in this current moment it's a more intense time of transition.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before we can live our lives as normally as possible here while raising the needed funds to go to Bolivia (after being officially approved for that change), we need to get set up to live our lives as normally as possible. Which leaves us with some checklist items including some very big needs, including:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. A place to live until our missions' housing becomes available in January</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. A car</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Car insurance</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Cell phone service</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course there are a plethora of other needs we have. But these seem to be the biggest. The latter 2 is just a matter of getting it done after finding the best option for us, but the top 2 on this list is something bigger than us just getting done. We need the right situation at the right price and that means we need God's involvement. (We do have a potential option for each but the car one needs work and we're not sure on the house one yet.) Would you please pray with us for those situations and even let us know if you know of any options?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Update: It looks as though both of the options that were in the works for items 1&2 (which was totally God in the first place) will work out for us. Please keep praying that there's no hiccup and for the finances needed for both, but things are looking good.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, this is the stage we're in right now: transition. This means that life feels unsettling as we live out of suitcases (though we have set up as "normally" as possible at my parent's place for the time being), don't have phones to communicate with people and don't have a way to get around aside from public transportation (which means we can't even get down to visit Polly's family yet).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for following us through this process and for your prayers.</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-78366483320034381612016-08-03T10:37:00.001-04:002016-08-03T10:37:45.085-04:00Goodbyes<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the month of July was one of the craziest, busiest and most hectic of my life (a trip to Bolivia followed by 3 straight missions teams), then August is sure to be one of the most emotional. I shared last week about <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2016/07/torn-hearts.html" target="_blank">how we're feeling through this transition</a> in general as we leave Costa Rica and go to the U.S. Today I wanted to share a little more specifically about what the "leaving Costa Rica" piece looks like for us.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the midst of the practical - paying bills, suspending our residencies, packing - there is one action that has stood out as important and difficult this week: saying goodbye. Polly had read in a book called "Third Culture Kid" that it's important to say goodbye to not only people but also to places. So we have been in goodbye mode. Saying goodbye has got to be the most difficult part of leaving a place. But it's a necessary step in the process.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if you thought I took a look of photos before, watch out. We're taking photos of everything and everyone as we say goodbye. We've said goodbye to friends. We've said goodbye to some of our favorite spots. I even took pictures during our last trip to the farmers' market, of the last pineapple we bought here. But our toughest goodbyes are still to come (we had friends over yesterday but we'll see them one more time briefly to say goodbye, but the goodbye to spending time with them has now passed). Today I say goodbye to one of my closest friends. And we say goodbye to our mentor missionary (though we'll surely see her again as we will be working with the same ministry and will undoubtedly have meetings in the future). Tomorrow we say goodbye to the kids from Linda Vista (including the chicos and chicas we've worked with). I think there will be tears. Friday we'll say goodbye to other great, life friends. Saturday we'll say one last goodbye to many of our missionary friends here. Sunday will be tough as we say one last goodbye to our church and church family here. Who knows what other goodbyes will come along the way. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goodbye is a word we've become accustomed to using a lot during our time here. But I don't think we ever really get used to it. We certainly haven't become numb to it. So we'll continue our goodbyes, trying to work through this process. Just don't be surprised if we're a little extra emotional. We would love your prayers for God's hand and emotional strength as we walk through this step of saying our goodbyes.</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-81583394517145523222016-08-01T10:00:00.000-04:002016-08-01T10:00:13.148-04:00An Interview with Genevieve<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In our last blog, I shared about how we're feeling as a family as we face this upcoming transition from Costa Rica, to the States. I decided to give Genevieve a chance to speak for herself, which I thought would be easiest in an interview format. I tried to follow her train of thought the best that I could while also trying to ask questions that would give the reader an idea for how our little sweet 5 year old is processing things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Q. What's your name?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A. Genevieve</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. How old are you?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. 5</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. What's your favorite color?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Purple</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Why is purple your favorite color?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Because it's Saprissa</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Where do you live?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Curridabat</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. In which country is Curridabat?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Costa Rica</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Which languages do you speak?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Spanish and English</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Which language do you prefer to speak?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. English</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. What are we doing next week?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Leaving</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Leaving where?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Costa Rica</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Where are we going?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. To the States</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. How do you feel about moving?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Sad</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Why sad?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Because I'll miss my friends</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Do you have a lot of friends?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Yes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Do you have a best friend?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. I have 2. They are Lucy (another MK here in Costa Rica) and Raeah (also another MK currently here in Costa Rica)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Do you have any tico (Costa Rican) friends?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Yes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Do you speak Spanish or English with your tico friends?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Both because they want to learn English</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Which do you speak more with your tico friends, Spanish or English?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Spanish</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. What are you going to miss most about Costa Rica?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. The dinosaur room at the Children's Museum</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Are you going to miss anything else here?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. School</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. What are you most looking forward to in the States?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Children's Museum (in Boston) because the climbing part</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. What is your favorite memory from Costa Rica?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Waterfall Garden</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. Why did you love the Waterfall Garden?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Because of the tall waterfall and also the wide one</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. If you could choose between staying in Costa Rica or moving to the States, which would you choose and why?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. Staying in Costa Rica because I want to go back to school</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Q. How should people pray for you as you go through this transition from Costa Rica to the States?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A. To have a good time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's also worth sharing a conversation from this morning. She started talking about how we wouldn't be at our own church next week (she meant the Sunday after this coming one) and how she's going to miss all her church friends. Then as Polly was explaining what we will be doing, she took her little pony she was holding and just kept making her say, "boo."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We ask that you please remember Genevieve and Jonah in your prayers as we walk through this transition. It's been especially difficult on Genevieve emotionally as she prepares to say goodbye to friends and loved ones. And even though Jonah is quite young and not really sure about what's going on, he's about to live outside of Costa Rica for the first time in his life and will undoubtedly experience some changes. Thank you!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-15800709076877950752016-07-28T10:00:00.000-04:002016-07-28T10:09:00.411-04:00Torn Hearts<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For some of our friends, we’re leaving Costa Rica. For other friends and family, we’re returning to the United States. For us, we’re doing both. And there are emotions connected to each. There are many who assume we must be excited to be returning home to the U.S. And while we are excited to return to the U.S., “home” is a pretty fluid concept for us right now. Why? Because before we can arrive “home” to the U.S., we must leave “home” from Costa Rica. We want to be excited and celebrate our return “home” with friends and family in the U.S., but we’re not there yet. We need to process through the stages of grief that comes with leaving people and a place that we love. Our heart is torn.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we left the U.S. for Costa Rica in January 2014, there were so many unknowns. We probably had more questions and uncertainties than expectations. But as August 2016 fast approaches, we are preparing to leave a place we know well and love deeply. We came here not knowing anyone from here. We prepare to leave so many friends and kids, who are like our own kids at times, behind. This transition back to the U.S. is nothing like our transition to Costa Rica. There is no real comparison to be made. We know what we’re returning to. While we will face reverse culture shock, we have a strong base of family and friends already in the U.S. It’s just not the same.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would be one thing if we were preparing to return to Costa Rica. This moment would be more of a “See you soon.” But this is a real, genuine goodbye. Nobody really knows what the future holds. But while we may have a chance to visit Costa Rica in the foreseeable future, there are no plans to live here again in the foreseeable future. So we are in fact saying goodbye to this place as our home. This will take processing.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So for those in the U.S. who may be excited for us to be home for a year or so before we make a new transition to Bolivia, please be patient with us and extend to us grace and mercy if we don’t quite seem so excited in the moment. Please understand that we will be excited to see you and reconnect. Please just also understand that we still need to grieve a significant “loss” as we leave so much we love behind. I believe in the notion that it’s better to meet people and have to leave them behind than to have never met them at all. But I also believe that it can be hard in the moment of the goodbye. Please be sensitive and give us that opportunity.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please don’t misunderstand this post. We’re not depressed or angry or frustrated. We’re not upset about our upcoming transitions and what God has in store for us. We’re in a good place. We view grieving as healthy. We just want to respect the process with no regrets. Thank you for caring enough to read this post. We covet your prayers. We love you. Blessings!</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-53782950707200768712016-05-10T13:00:00.000-04:002016-05-10T13:49:32.357-04:00Our Thriving MK<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A lot has happened in the 2+ years we have been in Costa Rica. While continuing to think and reflect on some of the most impactful moments and aspects of our time here, Genevieve came to mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we arrived in January of 2014, Genevieve was just a couple weeks shy of her 3rd birthday and still an only child. Before coming to Costa Rica, Polly was a stay-at-home mom and Genevieve had never gone to day care and had barely ever been to school (she spent some time in a kindergarten class on occasion at the school where Polly taught gym and computer class, but never for a full day).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, she had already had an opportunity to meet so many people and have great experiences during our itineration (going to different churches each week to raise funds) and did not have separation anxiety when going to kids classes at those random churches during that time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was only our 2nd day here in Costa Rica when that all began to change. Genevieve spent her first day at school. She was still so little even though I know at the time I couldn't help but think about how big she was.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnq-xi6_14KgXYgbX754SHtSGndFvbznujH7jNNPIhH-and3dAqoPfzvXPqJylKdR3k_vaNGYFNTeDKjjMnFmB-OyG60UAyzX55UtCju5lXaecZdvff_m8yDMyE3i3Ru3Zjo5LHt1M14/s1600/CR14+Genevieve%2527s+1st+Day+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnq-xi6_14KgXYgbX754SHtSGndFvbznujH7jNNPIhH-and3dAqoPfzvXPqJylKdR3k_vaNGYFNTeDKjjMnFmB-OyG60UAyzX55UtCju5lXaecZdvff_m8yDMyE3i3Ru3Zjo5LHt1M14/s320/CR14+Genevieve%2527s+1st+Day+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that really was only the beginning. She would go to school Monday-Friday with a Spanish-speaking teacher. Soon she was speaking Spanish like it was no big deal. And in just a little over a month, she was a big sister. Her life was constantly changing. And while she went through culture shock in her own way, in short time she had embraced and even thrived in this new world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll never forget when we were in Panama on a visa trip and she went with me to see if the hotel still had a blanket we had left during a previous trip there. On the way it occurred to me that I had never learned the word for blanket. So I turned to Genevieve and asked her. Without hesitation she responded, "Cobijita." What a humbling moment! (And she still teaches me new words sometimes.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There have been cool personal, cultural experiences for her along the way, like meeting the president of Costa Rica on 2 separate occasions and even ending up in the national newspaper with him once.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIih-y38kuSJx33NBNXf_eA-HgVneGc9vH8m7MrDvjESyaGWWDF8BoRVE5kCK4r2nC0CRNviNNbzikpAyo02jw-9s7Zibwx_Fv4mttq4kOFPn4M6yBf_k93aKuDFREyPUIUZOOIKnN4k/s1600/CR14+Di%25CC%2581a+de+la+Independencia+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIih-y38kuSJx33NBNXf_eA-HgVneGc9vH8m7MrDvjESyaGWWDF8BoRVE5kCK4r2nC0CRNviNNbzikpAyo02jw-9s7Zibwx_Fv4mttq4kOFPn4M6yBf_k93aKuDFREyPUIUZOOIKnN4k/s320/CR14+Di%25CC%2581a+de+la+Independencia+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE0YOxv5Oh9gEIjj5GVchkZ2fCo4lVal9fh9-E2oXk-EF9bVS6Z8oZjnz6S7kZVr9x7sKrHtTas2XPuOvhRsIxdcU1eBpKM09RGTyZ7Kjq9cFxLW4XcJcQd3eAnAsjtufNjGE5Hcd2sA/s1600/CR14+Di%25CC%2581a+de+la+Independencia+047+Genevieve+and+President+Soli%25CC%2581s+in+La+Nacio%25CC%2581n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE0YOxv5Oh9gEIjj5GVchkZ2fCo4lVal9fh9-E2oXk-EF9bVS6Z8oZjnz6S7kZVr9x7sKrHtTas2XPuOvhRsIxdcU1eBpKM09RGTyZ7Kjq9cFxLW4XcJcQd3eAnAsjtufNjGE5Hcd2sA/s320/CR14+Di%25CC%2581a+de+la+Independencia+047+Genevieve+and+President+Soli%25CC%2581s+in+La+Nacio%25CC%2581n.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwyPujmYV0bGCA5qq_52Fs3iFI7dEi-XQjiUBMryaCAOevJrCQWMH4EonxRUVTGptLZ-LumbqjA2aDmjgUfbNLd5JitkyuByDxn2CAFRnGxBcTJ_rnXXVOEISgvzQP4apob1JOTy6LjE/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwyPujmYV0bGCA5qq_52Fs3iFI7dEi-XQjiUBMryaCAOevJrCQWMH4EonxRUVTGptLZ-LumbqjA2aDmjgUfbNLd5JitkyuByDxn2CAFRnGxBcTJ_rnXXVOEISgvzQP4apob1JOTy6LjE/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But mostly I've been impressed by her ministry involvement. We always say that MKs are not missionary's kids but missionary kids. They are missionaries who just happen to be kids. In April 2015 at 4 years old was asked to share the story of David and Goliath in Spanish in front of a church full of people. She excitedly accepted the offer and did a great job.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Pc6rlRmPisjO9CGeH_cnMO8-TrxG_gUxaz-B2v-syANlQm2VlS3FWsmrefSnBqpsN7WJWlwfbPu8T913d86l5WwFIDHb-k6iKdpXhvrD2RwPD1-eiTPA4f2sSvv5IVsrzX72076_2V8/s1600/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+April+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Pc6rlRmPisjO9CGeH_cnMO8-TrxG_gUxaz-B2v-syANlQm2VlS3FWsmrefSnBqpsN7WJWlwfbPu8T913d86l5WwFIDHb-k6iKdpXhvrD2RwPD1-eiTPA4f2sSvv5IVsrzX72076_2V8/s320/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+April+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1zjuB9e1fhk" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She loves when teams come to work with us from the States, always making friends. And she loves hanging out with the chicas from Chicas de Promesa as well as other kids we work with. And let's not forget about how much she helped me with the OneHope book deliveries last year.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPIhmZ94Nigdy53lulN7uiWXfv-ug_8YlqstZ3FBJo3izEDm70r-ofJN2otPIVSNM00CgAuxeb8iU7C9QMEbUplASJwf1RL5GQ2DsO420dDwkIVbUysTQsAQ6C8F79EDGGrfwOhPUzK8/s1600/CR15+December+OneHope+Book+Zone+Distributions+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPIhmZ94Nigdy53lulN7uiWXfv-ug_8YlqstZ3FBJo3izEDm70r-ofJN2otPIVSNM00CgAuxeb8iU7C9QMEbUplASJwf1RL5GQ2DsO420dDwkIVbUysTQsAQ6C8F79EDGGrfwOhPUzK8/s320/CR15+December+OneHope+Book+Zone+Distributions+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week is exam week at the school where we do ministry 2 days a week. But since Genevieve goes to kindergarten at the school (all Spanish-speaking) when she goes with me, I decided to still let her go to class this week. At first I didn't know if it was a good plan since I am not doing ministry here this week and don't want to create more work for the teachers. But then it dawned on me that even though I'm doing work on my computer rather than normal ministry at the school these 2 days, she can still do ministry by showing the love of Jesus to her friends at school. These are her days of ministry. I guess I just forget sometimes that God wants to use her too. So while I type this, she's hanging out in school with her friends and I'm praying that God empowers her by the Holy Spirit to be a brightly shining light.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiMWWt8bfHm3ZMzVN53cmRZHeHrOFbllBh5A34tLIwnh7X_JAL4ut8sSmXEYLliYiLFj2HnVbFZi-twA6crATLSF_YjMMcMXyAKXvQ1u8ocxxXrDv-RbmNKg7C3kMnEcfX4MW1JQUGc4/s1600/IMG_3325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiMWWt8bfHm3ZMzVN53cmRZHeHrOFbllBh5A34tLIwnh7X_JAL4ut8sSmXEYLliYiLFj2HnVbFZi-twA6crATLSF_YjMMcMXyAKXvQ1u8ocxxXrDv-RbmNKg7C3kMnEcfX4MW1JQUGc4/s320/IMG_3325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-35498964029032782452016-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:002016-05-06T09:00:15.372-04:00The Impact of Hugs<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We have had some amazing ministry and personal experiences in Costa Rica. As we move into our final three months here, I have begun the process of reflecting on some of those. While reflecting, a "simple" question came to mind: Which experiences have impacted me the most?</i></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Of course, this is not really a simple question at all. It takes a lot of processing for me to assess these kinds of questions. But I want to take some opportunities over the next few months to unpack and share some of the most impactful experiences, events and moments from our time in Costa Rica.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's hard to say which is the most impactful but I want to start with the one which has stood out to me the most during these recent contemplations: Hugs.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I love hugs.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hug my wife and children multiple times each day. And they hug me. I also often hug other family and friends. I guess you could say that I'm a hugger.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So perhaps it's no surprise that some of my favorite, most impactful moments here have involved hugs. While I cannot share an exhaustive list, I wanted to share some examples.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Fatherly Hugs</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrote a <a href="http://mikeandpollybrown.blogspot.com/2015/07/childrens-ministry-retreat-fatherly.html" target="_blank">blog entry about these hugs</a> when I had this incredible experience. Let me share a summary. We were asked by a church to help with a children's ministry event. One of the teaching sessions was on fatherhood. I was with the younger kids for this session (up to age 6). The session was followed by a time of prayer. During this time I was approached by the teacher who asked if I would hug each kid with a fatherly hug and pray a prayer of blessing over them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first kid latched onto me and didn't want to let me go. I just stood there hugging this boy and letting him hug me. They finally had to pull him off of me to allow a chance for the other kids.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdgTqw2Ka5eFsFpWegyaUyGq59Kn0gXlJnLKiKxLSPYlOn10xc2zJzxw2AiiDUXQtfjRIIJdS0xoMi9dSvMSlvdW16yyFwG7KXQy6SrptNwSI9tlGKH8viA4m6zNilwESyy8OB8Ob9X0/s1600/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+Encuentro+de+Nin%25CC%2583os+125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdgTqw2Ka5eFsFpWegyaUyGq59Kn0gXlJnLKiKxLSPYlOn10xc2zJzxw2AiiDUXQtfjRIIJdS0xoMi9dSvMSlvdW16yyFwG7KXQy6SrptNwSI9tlGKH8viA4m6zNilwESyy8OB8Ob9X0/s320/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+Encuentro+de+Nin%25CC%2583os+125.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last kid also grabbed hold of me and just laid on my shoulder for a long time while his aunt stood by bawling. I later found out he didn't have a dad.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNJwfUutm1tPsG-UJ2n40FxX_zp-tA7LzZmQ8lnipjMvzASn1R05sws5x2h2PjayKz1B7opxz68TTHW1LkYWrGDlKfa62OifxXE0uuX9rAI1QmNa3MVbMaWu5DZgbHcL4oy4T1m5dgnc/s1600/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+Encuentro+de+Nin%25CC%2583os+130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNJwfUutm1tPsG-UJ2n40FxX_zp-tA7LzZmQ8lnipjMvzASn1R05sws5x2h2PjayKz1B7opxz68TTHW1LkYWrGDlKfa62OifxXE0uuX9rAI1QmNa3MVbMaWu5DZgbHcL4oy4T1m5dgnc/s320/CR15+Ri%25CC%2581o+Fri%25CC%2581o+Encuentro+de+Nin%25CC%2583os+130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have kids and love to hug them as their dad. And while those kids were not my kids, for that day those kids (especially the first and last) were like my kids and I hugged them as a dad. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was one of the most special and powerful moments of my life.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">2. Constant Hugs</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll never forget when I heard that some students at the Latin America ChildCare (LACC) school in Linda Vista lost their house to a fire. I was asked to go and take photos so we could see how we could help. We ended up having the privilege of helping the family build a new home. But more than that we became friends with this family and we became close with the kids. To this day, the 3rd and 4th kids of the family give me big hugs when they see me at the school. And I can feel the love with every hug. It's something so genuine and so precious.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LSicAa-gWB_Hik0A_u9fto9Qt2f-c-yJuw6ybb14abO_pJw21iagDmN6XXohmT2JjW7UHv3CsJxvFTM09g4bMe9s6AHZYO2OuquDDbGtvDlzQzdp9CbhmTwUdvugjsXj7le5_8C3ALs/s1600/CR15+Linda+Vista+House+Project+104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LSicAa-gWB_Hik0A_u9fto9Qt2f-c-yJuw6ybb14abO_pJw21iagDmN6XXohmT2JjW7UHv3CsJxvFTM09g4bMe9s6AHZYO2OuquDDbGtvDlzQzdp9CbhmTwUdvugjsXj7le5_8C3ALs/s320/CR15+Linda+Vista+House+Project+104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Comforting Hugs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One privilege has been the opportunity to pray over kids here in Costa Rica, especially in our LACC schools. Last year during the 5th grade spiritual emphasis chapel I was asked to pray for one of the students, one of the chicos I had been working with, as he was going through a tough time. I couldn't really do much but pray over him and wrap my arm around his shoulder to comfort him as he wept. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Random Hugs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was recently at the Linda Vista school when a kindergartner randomly approached me and gave me a hug before he returned to where he was sitting on the steps. I do not know why he hugged me and likely never will but I'm glad that he did.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another recent situation found me at our school in Los Cuadros. Genevieve was with me and wanted to stay to watch a movie other missionaries were showing to a group of students. During the movie this one sweet little girl just kept snuggling up to my arm and shoulder before finally propping herself against my knee for the rest of the movie.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcq_SkAoqVJDTAF_YndQeroj5m9SGlOn8yD9_Wm4_0MZEe0b20ShDinmdqaQn7NuWGYSwCUEAwbDGX9X3TVMs4SQg-CtR_IF67bKxGlQtE8dwMmigJvBvVtOvp_lMFtDbctUEbor27GVM/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcq_SkAoqVJDTAF_YndQeroj5m9SGlOn8yD9_Wm4_0MZEe0b20ShDinmdqaQn7NuWGYSwCUEAwbDGX9X3TVMs4SQg-CtR_IF67bKxGlQtE8dwMmigJvBvVtOvp_lMFtDbctUEbor27GVM/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Final thoughts...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said, there are other examples I'm sure I could share (and Polly could add even more to that) but these are the ones that stood out to me the most. It occurs to me that all of these hugs have something in common: I didn't/don't deserve any of them. I am blessed and feel privileged to have these opportunities. Maybe that's why these moments stand out to me above so many other amazing experiences we've had here.</span></div>
Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-525889976972691564.post-47108646696923251842016-03-21T12:30:00.000-04:002016-03-21T12:51:48.638-04:00Finding the Balance<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week was our Assemblies of God national pastors' meetings (Asamblea General) in Costa Rica. What a great time connecting with friends and making new ones. This country is in great hands with excellent pastors and leaders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beyond the meetings themselves, the 2 days I spent there really offered a good glimpse into the balance between finishing well here and preparing for our upcoming transition and itineration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Double Duty Scheduling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As w</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e told pastor friends our plans to leave in August, a number of them wanted to be sure to schedule us to come and preach at their churches before leaving. We also scheduled a couple of kids' ministry classes to teach and a potential final trip into the jungle to minister to the indigenous.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had submitted our newsletter on one of the first day I was at the meetings. In the newsletters we let pastors know that we're beginning to schedule services from when we're home in August until the end of the year. So I was on my phone responding to requests for itineration services.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were (are) building 2 different schedules. One for the remainder of our time here and the other for our return to the States. This really offers a good picture of where we are right now. We are committed to the people of Costa Rica and our responsibilities here until the end. We want to finish strong and finish well. And then there's the need to set up our schedule for when we arrive in the States to prepare for Bolivia. It's a balance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Itineration</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are going to keep going strong here. We love the people and we love what we are able to do. And we look forward to still learning as much as we can these final months here. But I want to take this opportunity to focus more on when we'll be home for itineration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I mentioned we are looking to fill up our schedule from when we're home in August until the end of 2016. We can't really schedule further in advance because we still await official approval as appointed missionaries, which would be in October. We believe God is in this and that everything will work with this, but we still leave it in His hands and ask you to pray that His will be done as we go to our interview. If we are approved, we will immediately begin filling our 2017 schedule as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>There are 3 encounters we would like to schedule:</b></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Churches</b> - We would love opportunities to come and share our hearts at churches in Sunday or Wednesday services, children's services, youth services, small groups, men's groups, women's groups, etc. This is true both for already supporting churches and potential supporting churches.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pastors</b> - We would love to connect with pastors and/or missions leadership of churches over coffee. While we love connecting with the whole church body, we understand that sometimes this works better for some pastors for various reasons.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Individuals </b>- We have a decent amount of monthly support and one-time donations which has come from family, friends and complete strangers. We would love to connect and share our hearts on a personal level with those who partner with us financially or who would like to consider financial partnership.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are also asking for prayer and really want to work on building our prayer team more intentionally and strategically so stay tuned for more about how we'll be implementing this aspect of partnership.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please pray that the details will still come together regarding where we'll be staying, how we'll be traveling, Genevieve's schooling and other technically details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're doubly excited I guess. Excited for what's already here (ministry in Costa Rica) and what's to come (the transition to ministry in Bolivia).</span>Mike and Polly Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07701618413593968682noreply@blogger.com0